Curry was cut from the Spurs roster last Tuesday and was playing in preseason action for the Mavericks by Friday. Rife with injuries in their frontcourt, the Mavericks didn't have big bodies to put in the game.

The same issue could come up in their Tuesday game against the Los Angeles. Mavericks center Chris Kaman is unlikely to be available on the NBA’s opening night. Dallas is also without star Dirk Nowitzki, as he continues to recover from knee surgery and will be out at least another six weeks. That leaves Curry, who has played in 24 games since the 2007-08 season, when he was a featured big man for the New York Knicks.

Kaman has been struggling with a sprained back and has not scrimmaged with the team since suffering the injury Sept. 29 in training camp. Based on his most recent look at Kaman in practice, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle does not expect Kaman back in time for Tuesday.

The Mavericks have not seen much of Curry at this point, either. He scored 11 points in 25 minutes of an exhibition game Friday against the Bobcats and is slimmed down, a good sign considering his previous weight issues.

“He’s doing OK,” Carlisle said. “He’s a force in the paint offensively. We’d like to get him more active defensively and rebounding a little bit more. But his attitude has been good, and he’s worked hard to get himself in pretty good shape.”